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Finance-capital and the trusts are aggravating instead of diminishing the differences between the rates of development of different parts in the world economy. When the alignments of forces are modified, where, under capitalism, can the solution of contradictions be found, if not in the resort to force?

We have in railway statistics some remarkably exact data on the different rates of development of capitalism and finance-capital in world economy.⁷⁹ In the last decades of capitalist development, the total length of railways, expressed in thousands of kilometres, has altered as follows:

	1890			1913			Increase
Europe ... ...	224			346			122
U.S.A. ... ...	268			411			143
Colonies (total) ..	82	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$		210	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$		128	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$
Independent or semi-dependent states of Asia and America			125			347			222
	43			137			94
	617			1,104

The development of railway lines has, therefore, been more rapid in the colonies and in the independent or semi-independent States of Asia and America. Here finance-capital of the four or five biggest capitalist States reigns undisputed. 200,000 kilometres of new railway lines in the colonies and in the other countries of Asia and America represent more than 40 milliards of marks in capital, newly-invested under particularly advantageous conditions, with special guarantees of a good return, and with fruitful orders for the steel works, etc., etc.

Capitalism is growing with the greatest rapidity of all in the colonies and in trans-oceanic countries.